Separable plug



May 8, 1934. A. F. HOPKINS, JR

SEPARABLE PLUG Filed July 25, 1932 ,2 7 o YV RESILIENT Patented May 8, 1934 SEPARABLE PLUG Albert F. Hopkins, Jr., Duluth, Minn. Application July 25, 1932, serial No. 624,523

4Claims,

This inventionrelates to a separable plug -for electric wire terminals, the principal object being to produce a more practical and eicient device of this character than heretofore known.

i Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the :following description thereof. i

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application and wheren like 3 reference characters indicate like parts; the separable plug consists of a plug cap as shown in Figures l, 23 and 4, and a plug base as shown in Figures and 6; and more specincally Figure l is a plan View Aof the face of one of 5 the improved plug caps with the prongs thereof illustrated in section;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the opposite end of the cap; j

Figure 3 is a central horizontal section through o one of the caps.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but taken at right angles thereto;

Figure 5 is a combined section and elevation of the cooperative plug base for the cap; and.

:5 Figure 6 is a face view of Figure 5.

l represents the body portion of the cap which is made of resilient rubber, or rubber like material, the upper end or face 2 of which is circular and recessed to form an annular rim about 3o `the stepped circular shoulder portion 3, while the opposite end 4 of the cap is of oval or sub-l stantially elliptical form as clearly illustrated in Figure 2, the object of which will presently appear.

This cap is provided with an axial bore, circu'- lar at its face or prong end and concentric with the face thereof, while the oppositeend is somewhat elongated and similar in shape to the external portion thereof, the relative position of 4o the termini of such bore being clearly seen in Figure 2.

A circular washer like member 5 is provided for. installation upon the face of the shoulder 3,

. and which washer is of yieldable material such as semi-exible ber or the like. This washer carries xed thereto as by the rivets 6 and upon opposite sides thereof the prongs 'l which protrude from the face of the cap when installed therein, and for which latter purpose these 5o prongs each have an arcuately shaped tailvportion 8 which is incorporated within the opposite extremities of the elongated portion of the cap. The purpose of this washer is to maintain l proper and fixed distance in the plane of said washer between prongs, and also maintain nxed relative position of the prongs, which, at the same time, is exible enough tov permit sufficient lateral-movement of, the ends of the prongs. Laterally from each attachment of' the prongs is formed anextenst'on 9 upon the free end of each of which is a suitable screw l0 for the attachinentof the terminal ends of the wire to which the cap is attached as a connecting means, so that this portion of the cap and its connection to the wires are similar to that of a common plug cap connection.

Now the free protruding ends of the prongs '7 are oiset or notched inwardly as at 1l, forming hook-like members with outwardly flared termini 12 for slipping engagement over the similar 70 notched prongs 13 in' the cooperative plug base 14. If desired, it is obvious that these notches while of suilicient depth to insure against ordinary accidental separation of the cap and plug base will still permit of forceful separation without injury to either cap or plug base. The plug base may be of common construction, and were the cap provided with holes in the prongs thereof as hereinafter described in place of the notches, the same could be used in conjunction with an ordinary plug base, in which case the prongs of the cap would function in the usual manner as an adequate connection. However it is preferred that the plug base and plug be made to correspondingly register as previously de- 85 scribed. The plug cap is of yieldable material, such as rubber, and by which is meant, a material that may be readily squeezed together longitudinally of the elongated portion 4 of the body. Being of such form, obviously assures the 9o cap being grasped in a manner to contract the opposite extensions of the body portion in order to release the grip of the prongs. Were this por'- tion of the cap not so formed, it would require skill and experimentation to determine in what manner or position to squeeze the cap in order to spread the prongs and release same from its cooperative receptacle or plug base. Furthermore, the volume of material being less upon opposite sides thereof transverse the shorter dimension of the cap, permits of more ready manipulation thereof. The hole in the end 'of the cap is made substantially oval in order to allow the necessary room between electric cord and cap for operating the releasing mechanism.

It is to be understood that in lieu of the notches 11 in the prongs, they may be provided with small elongated holes, as are sometimes found in .such caps, that would register with inwardly projecting tits` Ain the plus base,

and thereby 11o accomplish similar results, and other modifications of my means for providing a positive connection of the two parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

From the foregoing it is evident that I have produced a practical form of plug that may be so shaped as to have much greater security in its vconnection with a plug base than at present employed, and yet one readily and easily inserted or released when desired. Since the connection of the two parts is made by a spring-like action it has the advantage of constant and positive contact at all times. This method of spring contact is believed novel in that the'spring-like action takes place in the cap as contrasted with the usual method of incorporating the spring in the plug base. The method, herein stated is not a mere adjustment of the prongs to the plug base, but the prongs of my improved cap exert a definite and sustained pressure toward each other on the contact pieces Within the plug base. The normal relative position of the prongs when withdrawn from the plug base is shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An electrical plug cap comprising an inherently resilient hollowed out body portion having a wire passage therethrough a flexible disc frictionally held in said hollowed out body, contact prongs fixed to said disc and one end of each being embedded Within said body substantially the full length thereof and their otherends extending from said body in spaced relation, and means whereby when the embeddedends of the prongs are pressed toward each other, their extending free endswiil be correspondingly separated.

2. An electrical plug cap comprising an inherently resilient hollowed out body portion having a wire passage therethrough, contact prongs Secured to said body portion pivoted intermediate of their ends and extending therefrom for contact with a cooperative plug base, means upon said prongs for assuring xed electrical contact with said plug base, said contactbeng broken by pressing the secured ends of the prongs together which separates their extending ends and releases said fixed contact.

3. Anv electrical plug cap comprising an inherently resilient integral hollowed out body portion having a wire passage therethrough, contact prongs fixed tov said body portion by extending therewithin a substantial distance on opposite sides of said passage, said prongs projecting from said body for contact with a cooperative plug base, means for pivotally connecting said prongs intermediate of their ends and means whereby when the ends of the prongs within the body are pressed toward each other their projecting ends will separate correspond-l ingly.

4. A separable plug comprising an inherently resilient hollowed out cap and a plug base therefore each having contact members to establish electrical communication when joined, flexible means within the cap for providing a pivotal connection of the cap contact members, means integral with said contact members and due to the inherent resiliency of the cap to assure said electrical communication against any normal stress, and means whereby said communication may be broken by squeezing the cap and thereby separating its contact members releasing them from the plug base.

ALBERT F. HOPKINS, JR. 

